Fallen Leaves' Prologue
by Lizardstep
Summary: Fallen Leaves, a softpaw so desperate to become a Sharpclaw, woke up finding himself in the caverns. For seasons he remained inside the tunnels, losing all hopes about exiting. But one day, to his surprise, cats came to the lake...
1. Onset

The underground river flowed as quickly as ever, I thought as my eyes scanned the cavern. Why can I see so perfectly in the dark? The main reason was because I have been trapped in here for longer than days. Ever since I entered, not even a gleam of sun.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Fallen Leaves. I am a Softpaw, kit of Broken Shadow and Stone Song. In order for Softpaws like me to become Sharpclaws, we must undergo a challenge: to enter the tunnel system and come back out alive. Most cats do make it out, like Burning Reed, who is probably still boasting about it today.

I wasn't so lucky.

Long story short, I drowned. However, as I stood on the dark riverbank, I am pretty sure I'm not dead. Then again, when I looked down at my paws, they are semi-transparent, glittering with the same quality as stars do.

I knocked my paw on the ground. Hm, hard as always. Even though I can look through my paws, and they don't look reliable to stand on anymore, they seem to be working. I must be hallucinating.

Since this was not getting me anywhere, I decided to explore a little bit. I headed towards the narrowest tunnel, my whiskers twitching at how dry the air felt. There was also a familiar scent… the scent of warmth, of sunshine. It must lead out, so I continued heading in that direction.

I kept my pace, but my eyes lost focus. The tunnels started possessing a strange quality. Is that...light? My heart beat faster and faster as I slowly reached the dot of brightness.

Soon I'll see Broken Shadow and Stone Song. They must be worried sick. Soon, I can brag to Burning Reed he is not the only one who made it out this season. Soon, I'll be back with every cat.

I took a deep breath in. Wait, the air doesn't seem right. There are no scent of any living cat. Is it because this part of the forest is so far from the moor? Following the lake shore, I raced back towards camp.

As I ran, I admired the trees around me. How have they grown so tall in just two days? The flowers blooming by the lake shore are beautiful, but isn't leaf-bare coming? I jolted to a stop in front of the stream, now more of a river. It rushed twice as fast as I've last seen it.

Must be because of the rain, I thought.

A newly built twoleg-bridge stood in front of me, making me doubt everything. I had seen Twolegs build things before, and they surely don't finish something like a bridge in two nights. The trees were too lush, the flowers too fresh, the air too warm for nearly leaf-bare. This is wrong.

I looked down at my paws once again. They were still like stars in the mist, shifting and gleaming. "Does that mean I...died?" I shook my head, looking up to the sky. The calm breeze ruffled my fur, somehow making me shiver even more.

All these thoughts made my eyelids feel heavy, and I remembered that I haven't rested for two nights. Perhaps, I'll figure everything out after a good sleep. I tucked down, curling my shimmering tail to my nose, and closing my eyes, I abruptly sank into the infinite abyss of sleep.

It was then I saw my kins again, but from the sky, similar to how birds must see their world. All the cats I've known gathered, looking moons older than they did. Especially Dove's Wing. She was only a kit before I entered the tunnels. Now she's as big as I am! I held my breath and watched closely.

Furled Bracken stood with Jay's Wing in the middle of two groups of cats, yowling soundlessly at them. All the cats were holding a gray blob. A stone? Stone Song, facing every other cat, meowed something I couldn't hear. Then he pushed his stone in front of Furled Bracken.

Running Horse, Shy Fawn, and several others, pushed theirs in front of Jay's Wing. Broken Shadow looked uneasy, but she shook her head, and tossed her stone next to Running Horse's.

This continued on, with all the younger cats casting their stone in front of Furled Bracken, and most the older cats placing their stone in front of Jay's Wing. When they finally stopped, I counted the stones on both sides. Equal.

All eyes turned on Jay's Wing. The young sharpclaw played with his stone nervously, clearly thinking. At last, he shoved it onto the pile in front of Furled Bracken.

Then my dream shifted, showing a glimpse of the cats heading for the highstones.

A drip of water slid down my muzzle, waking me up.

I was back in the cave again, but somewhere I do not recognize. I sighed and began exploring again. Left, right, right, left, up...these turns seemed to lead me in a circle, but I have to get to the end of this!

All openings except one, which leads to the oak forest, were blocked by an invisible force. Though I could see outside, whenever I try exiting, it was as if a stone blocked the entrance. So my efforts to find a moor exit were wasted. I followed the wiry twists and the dry forest scent back to the unblocked entrance. After much struggle, I was out again.

I rushed against the wind. "They have to still be there, they have to!" I yelled out loud, even with the knowledge that no cat could hear me. Taking the same path I did last time, I ran towards the moor as fast as I could. I stopped once again at the twoleg bridge.

There were a few chips in its once smooth surface, and a few splinters here and there. Moss crawled along the worn-out edges. It made me question, how long has it been? How long have I been gone? I kicked the earth, frustrated and confused.

Suddenly, I was aware of my body swaying. Before I could do anything about it, I collapsed with a thump onto the ground.

The annoying noise of dripping water made it way back into my mind. No dream this time, back in the cave.

Pathetically, I got used to the cycle.

Everytime I tried to step out of a certain area (the oak forest, to be exact), I lose consciousness and wake up somewhere random in the cavern system. Each time I lose consciousness, I seem to be out for a long time, as once I fainted in greenleaf and woke up in leaf-bare. That's why after my 10th attempt, I gave up trying. My kins, they're gone for sure.

Despite being trapped in this small piece of land, there was still much to do. I chatted with the occasional passing kittypets and rogues. I hunted and trained. I explored the cavern so I'd memorize every corner, every trail, every dead end.

Sometimes, Rock visited. I was surprised he hadn't left with my kins, or was even alive. But whatever I ask about my kins, about my situation, his answer was always "Things are hard to explain, young one." Followed by a hard sigh.

That was my life for seasons upon seasons. Weaving through the maze-like tunnels, pacing the edge of the oak forest, trying to coax Rock into telling me what's going on. Though I suppose it's more like I'm desperate to talk to Rock, my only companion.

One sunrise, I found myself trapped in the cave system. An invisible boulder blocked me from leaving the last exit. The other exits also remained the way they were. "Is this it?" I thought. "Is this how it'll be from now on, me trapped alone inside the tunnels?" The voice in my mind sounded rather desperate, but I was surprised at how quick I accepted this new reality. A tiny ground of grass to stroll on is hardly any loss.

That night, cats came. I can sense that they are not rogues, unified as they are, but still hostile towards each other. Their leader was a muscular dark tabby. Fish Leap, I thought at first, until I realized his stripe patterns were different. He was followed closely by a small dark ginger cat, a black tortoiseshell, a sleek gray-blue cat, and lastly, a sulky lithe black tom. They stood by the lake, discussing something, and the black tom turned away, lashing his tail, and the rest hurried to catch up. Slowly, they moved across the river, and towards the moor.

That's when my eyes caught the gleam in the black tom's blue eyes. They were shining as bright as the stars, determined as he watched the distant grasses. As they strode together, my thoughts kept getting jerked back to the dream, and my kins who headed to the Highstones. My heart slowed to a stop.

Perhaps they know something about them?


	2. Pursue

Taking the familiar turns inside the cave, I quickly made to the moor opening. The black cat was not looking as grumpy now, glancing around with hope and pride. I listened closely to the other cats who chatted by the lake. The blue-gray she-cat said something about 'the island' and 'river clan'. The dark brown tabby then asked "Where should the gathering place be?" The rest were blurred arguing I couldn't catch.

The cats continued to head towards the barn. I tried to track them, but no tunnels led in that direction. So I stayed and watched at the entrance by the river.

The next day, a bigger group of cats walked down the same path the tiny patrol did. The black tom from the day before was amongst them. When they reached the moor, a smaller group split off, the rest continued walking. The same thing happened when they reached the broken Twoleg nest. Again at the pine hollow. The remaining cats settled at the river delta.

Through time and occasional overheard conversations, I learned that these groups of cats are called "clans". The four clans live on their own, and are hostile towards each other. But for some reason, they still gather at the island every night of full moon.

It is a weird way of living, but organized like the group I used to belong to. Maybe some of them are my kin! There's the fluffy white one that looked like Half Moon, the pale-ginger tabby who resembled Cloudy Sun, and those two newcomer kits- both too similar to Rising Moon.

Seasons passed. I found myself watching Thunder Clan every day. Probably because so much of them remind me of my own kin, especially the three that were born as the leaf withered, whose eyes shone as bright as the stars. Just one look at them, and I could already tell they will have a great destiny.

The gray one, especially. He resembles a cat I've seen so much in the past: Jay's Wing, or Jay Paw, as he's called now. Aside from his stripes being lighter, there was nothing different between the two. Both clumsy, both quiet and temperamental, and both has talents towards healing. They have to be the same cat.

That snow-chill was calm and peaceful. But after the snow-chill, nothing was peaceful ever again, because cats found out about the tunnel system. As curious as I am, I couldn't afford to be found out. Who knows what would happen if I did?

It started with the brother of Jay Paw, and a light brown Wind Clan apprentice. Then three more kits of Wind Clan wandered in. Two Wind Clan apprentices, the light brown one and a black one, entered the tunnel in pursuit of them, along with Jay Paw, Lion...Paw, and...Holly Paw, I think? I tasted the damp air.

Rain is coming soon.

I must help them, whether I want to or not. My voice echoed through the tunnel. "Follow me. I know where the kits are." Only Jay Paw reacted to my voice, while the others continued to wander around, unaffected. He didn't seem surprised at all to hear me. But why was he the only one who heard me? I wonder if that means he does have something to do with the past Jay's Wing.

"Follow me," I meowed again, "we must hurry if we want to save the kits."

Jay Paw took a deep breath in. "Do you really know where the kits are?"

I nodded, sensing he didn't want to follow a stranger lightly. The gray tom sighed and yowled to the others. "This way!"

"How would you know?" Argued the grumpy Wind Clan apprentice to Jay Paw. His dark pelt blended with the tunnels so much I had a hard time locating him. Huh, he looked just like the black cat I saw when the clans first came to the lake moons ago. This must be the black cat's son.

The other Wind Clan apprentice hissed. "Just follow him, you hare-brain!"

Droplets of water landed on my back as I led the apprentices quickly through the tunnel. All of them seem confused at how Jay Paw was so sure of the way, but exhausted as they were on this damp and freezing night, none of them questioned any longer.

We dashed through the tunnels like hares leaping on the moor, for the tunnels aren't actually that complicated, after seasons of living inside it. But I was soon met with an unexpected surprise- a huge boulder obstructing the path I was so familiar with. Why? I was so sure this path was free of barriers, how come one just popped out of nowhere?

I suddenly remembered that time has been passing unparallel to my own ever since my kins have left the moor. That memory of the clear path must've belonged to frost-leaves ago.

Jay Paw glanced at me accusingly. "You said you knew where the kits were!" Thunder rumbled along with the anger in his voice.

"I-" Wails of kits came from the other side of the tunnel.

"The kits!" Yowled Lion Paw, who immediately began to push the boulder.

The rest of the apprentices joined in, even Jay Paw, who seemed annoyed ever since they entered the tunnels. I was about to join in, but remembered I couldn't touch things anymore. The boulder budged slightly, then rolled back to yield a tiny path.

"Thistlekit, Sedgekit, Swallowkit!" Cried the she-cat apprentice. "Are you all alright?"

"We're fine, Heather Paw!" The kits mewled. "But it's so wet here!"

Heather Paw laughed in relief. "Of course it is, you tiny mouse-brains, it's raining!"

"_It's raining!" _I began to feel the droplets of water sliding down my pelt.

How could I only notice now that the ground is covered with mud? The walls of the cave began to crumble, and streams of water flowed into the cave.

"Heather Paw," meowed the dark Wind Clan apprentice hollowly, "grab the kits and let's go!" He crouched down to let Sedgekit climb up his back. Heather Paw took Thistlekit by the scruff, and Lion Paw the same with Swallowkit.

The straight path once again began to diverge after a short while, and our energy were swallowed by the torrenting river.

"Which way is it now?" Jay Paw huffed, turning his milky blue eyes on me.

Odd, this was a part of the tunnels I wasn't familiar with. Three openings were in front of us. At least one of them must lead back up, as all do, but it's a matter of distance and time. No cat wants to spend too long in these waters.

I looked at the walls again, and retraced the map of the tunnels inside my head. I remember the way the apprentices entered, the place the kits were, the direction we went in and that lead to where we are now. But this place was disconnected from the others, untouched and unknown.

"I don't know the way." I finally confessed.

"How can you not?" The anger in the Healer's voice was drowned out by fear. I did not want to imagine what would happen if they couldn't get out. Will they be trapped here as I did?

_Will I be the cause of these young cat's deaths? _


	3. Sacrifice

The water crashed violently inside the caves, drenching our pelts with dismal. For some reason, I couldn't feel it at all; the water felt like a gust of wind against my pelt.

It must have something to do with the force that blocked me down here, I thought as I closed my eyes and prayed for an answer. Which way would lead these young cats quicker to safety?

"My dear Fallen Leaves, it is time for you to become a Sharpclaw."

Who was there? Rock? I turned back in surprise, seeing no healer, but rather a stick bobbing up and down in the water.

Now that I remember, the old healer carried a stick with him wherever he went. Could this be that very one?

Abnormal energy reeked around the stick, radiating knowledge beyond ages. I bent down to examine, and noticed the stick had its bark peeled off in certain places. Weird scratches lined the bare areas, which must be claw marks, I thought.

There was one claw mark on the side much deeper than the others. The crooked way it looked made me shiver.

"My dear Fallen Leaves, it is time for you to become a Sharpclaw." The voice repeated inside my head, sounding familiar, but much more distant. Like the wind skimming by the moor. It took me back to the time when I was still a Softpaw, roaming the moor freely alongside my littermates.

Yes, that exact phrase, that exact tone. It was what Rock said to me right before I entered the tunnels.

As he made that deep, crooked mark on the stick.

Half a Sun's journey before I met my end in the rising river. Here.

That morning, I remember going straight for the whole way, and entering this junction through the leftmost path. Which means the opening on the very right would lead us back to the rabbit burrows. The last exit I have not explored.

Perhaps this is the way to get out! Hope filled me as my legs took me towards the opening on the right, but stopped abruptly as I remembered how narrow the tunnels were there. Only one cat could fit in it at a time.

They must go before me, however much I want to escape this place.

The gaze of Jay Paw met mine, and I nodded to him. He meowed to the other cats, "the rightmost tunnel! It should lead us back to the moor."

How did he know that without me telling him? As curious as I am, this is no time for me to wonder. "We're almost there!" The kits mewled in excitement.

_Yes, kits, yes you are._

The clan cats padded into the tunnel one by one, and as soon as the last one couldn't be seen anymore, I raced after them, against the currents of the river tugging at my body.

"You belong in the tunnel," the river shrieked, "and you will be trapped in here forever!"

"No!" I stabbed back, "my destiny is to become a Sharpclaw, which is what I'm going to do now!" Still, I was unable to hide the worry inside my voice. What if instead, I'm destined to get stuck inside here? I shook the thought away. The young cats need me, so I can't let weakness show through.

Another splash of water rushed down, soaking the apprentices and wavering the kits. Seeing their shivering bodies, I realized how cold the water must be. The kit at the back of the queue paused her movements.

"B-breeze Paw, Heather Paw," panted Swallowkit weakly, "I can't walk anymore." Her tiny voice was overwhelmed by the rumbling waters in the background. Another strong wave shoved her, trembling, to the ground.

I stared ahead, but saw no others. They must be walking really fast to disappear from my sight so quickly. How can this kit ever catch up?

Can I help her? Last time I tried, my paws went through anything and any being I attempted to touch. I hesitated, then stuck my paws forward.

"Who's there?" Swallowkit glanced up, her eyes filled with tears, but as soon as she saw me, she sighed with relief.

"You can see me?" I gasped.

The gray kit nodded. "Of course I can. You're one of those Thunder Clan apprentices, right? The one that found us by that boulder."

Oh, so she saw me from the start. I convinced myself that it'd be better for me to pretend I'm a living cat than to tell her I'm a spirit who's been trapped in the tunnels for seasons.

"Yes, I'm, er, Fallen Paw." I paused and thought what would sound comforting to the kit. "I'll get you back to the others, don't worry."

The kit seemed more interested in my starry paws than my reply. "Do all ginger cats have this glitter?" She queried.

I smiled. "That's not important. Now, let's go!" I grabbed the kit with my mouth, and began running once again through the deep waters that has now reached the height of my chest.

After a moment of me padding in the deep water, and the kit questioning me rather odd questions that I couldn't answer, ("Can you climb a tree? Are all Thunder Clan cats kitty pet lovers?") I finally spotted the dark Wind Clan apprentice at the end of the cats, fox-lengths and fox-lengths ahead of me. I know even if I tried, he wouldn't hear me, and Swallowkit's voice would be covered up by the roaring current. I continued following him silently.

That was when the gigantic wave crashed into me.

Now, that may seem like nothing, but it is a huge surprise for a spirit who has not felt water since before cats have ever been to the mountains. Was that an omen? A foreshadow? The freezing water pressed down on my pelt, and I gasped for breath, suddenly feeling the temperature drop inside the tunnels. The current was there, stronger than ever. This time, however, I could actually feel it. Its strong, slippery hands, tugging away the fates of these young cats.

It choked at my neck, so powerful, I had a hard time keeping Swallowkit out of it. I closed my eyes.

I have to get out! This is my last chance of becoming a Sharpclaw! I might see my kins again!

"Fallen Paw? Are you all right?" Meowed the tiny voice of Swallowkit with a hint of desperate. She swayed like a withered leaf, but her amber eyes shone with something beyond fear. Hope.

This kit, she has a whole promising life in front of her. She could live, happy, loved by her clanmates, and alive. Or she could die by my selfishness.

I nodded to her, and let all my fear wash away by the river. The waves lapped at my neck, where Swallowkit's paws were clinging tightly.

The dark Wind Clan apprentice must've finally heard the kit's meow, as he turned with surprise.

"Swallowkit! Why aren't you with the other kits?"

Somehow, he still didn't notice my existence. But that doesn't matter anymore. With my final strength, I toss the gray kit towards him.

_Catch! _I prayed to the stars. _Catch the kit!_

But I never knew what happened to Swallowkit. Waters overcame me as soon as I threw her, and I was washed away by the tumbling currents, pressing me back into unconsciousness. Dark. Emotionless. Peaceful.

My name is Fallen Leaves. I am a Softpaw who never became a Sharpclaw, and is a spirit roaming the tunnels mindlessly. This is my destiny, to be stuck in the tunnels forever, and I have long since accepted it. But now, the big question is, where am I?

Swirling tides lapped at my paws. A stick bumped against my head, which made me groggily push my body up. Spots danced in front of my eyes, contrasting between shadows and light. Grass swayed, leaves twirled, and the bushes rustled. It was a harmony of colours and sounds.

I woke up by the lake shore, the part by the forest which my group have never explored. But of anything, it is much more welcoming than my home in the caves.

Oh, the beauty of the outside world! I felt like I could sit there for half a moon, just staring at the trees and the lake. But there was something else calling out to me, a reason that the river brought me here. I glanced around, then padded deeper into the forest.

The terrain gradually became steeper, and I spotted a barrier of thorns in the distance. I quickened my step.

Deep down the cliffs that surround the Thunder Clan camp, there was an abnormal commotion. I spot Jay's Wing and Lion Paw at the corner of the camp, both so much bigger and more mature than when I last saw them in the tunnels. They looked anxious, which is when I noticed what was wrong. Where's Holly Paw?

A light brown she-cat was sobbing behind the brothers, whom I recognized due to seeing her when they first arrived at the lake. Her amber eyes resembles Lion Paw's so much, she must be their mother. Thus meaning only one thing:

Holly Paw is missing.

Jay Paw was meowing to the other disturbed cats in the clearing. "... hunting when all of a sudden the tunnels collapsed. She was caught in it, and we couldn't save her." There was another layer to his voice, as if he was trying to hide something, but my thoughts were too filled to analyze beyond that.

My paws dragged me to the tunnel entrance closest to Thunder Clan's camp. The grass there was bare, the earth crumbly and dry. Beyond the tunnel entrance, it was covered by large pieces of fallen earth, and a dark body underneath… that must be Holly Paw.

Her legs were trapped by the earth, her breathing was shallow, and her beautiful face was scrunched in pain. An infection? If that be the case, I must treat her fast.

But, a thought shot through my head as I took a step forward. What would happen if I enter the tunnels again? Would I be trapped like I was? Am I willing to give up my newfound freedom? I glanced to the ground, then back to the she-cat.

Can I live with the guilt of leaving her to die alone? Her breathing seemed to get more shallow every moment passing.

I can't.

What would I achieve if I leave the tunnels? I'll just be a spirit roaming the endless lands. But this she-cat, if I save her, she could reunite with her kins… a thing I never accomplished.

I laughed. How selfish and mouse-brained I was, to put a dead cat before a living one. I padded into the tunnel, feeling the force trapping me underground once again. But my heart settled at the thought of saving another cat's life.

Perhaps it won't be too bad to be the guardian of the tunnels till the end of time.


End file.
